# JavaScript SDK

Cube is visualization-agnostic, so you can build any user interface for your
application.

You can directly query Cube using the
JSON [query format](/product/apis-integrations/rest-api/query-format) via the [REST API](/product/apis-integrations/rest-api/reference)
or
[WebSockets](/product/apis-integrations/recipes/real-time-data-fetch#web-sockets)
and visualize analytical data with tools of your choice. However, it's much
easier to use the Cube JavaScript client and bindings for popular frameworks
such as React, Angular, and Vue.

The client has methods to communicate with Cube API Gateway and retrieve and
process data. It is designed to work with existing charting libraries including
Chart.js, D3.js, and more.

## Cube JavaScript Client

The client provides methods to solve common tasks:

**Abstract from the transport and query data.** You can
[fetch data](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#load) from Cube Backend or
subscribe to
[real-time updates](/product/apis-integrations/recipes/real-time-data-fetch)
regardless of the protocol, be it HTTP or WebSockets.

**Transform data for visualization.** You can
[pivot](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#pivot) the result set to display
as a [chart](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#chartpivot) or as a
[table](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#tablepivot), split into
[series](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#series) or
[table columns](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#tablecolumns).

**Simplify work with complex query types.** You can build
[drill down](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#drilldown) queries and
[decompose](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#decompose) the results of
[compare date range queries][ref-compare-date-range]
or [data blending](/product/data-modeling/concepts/data-blending) queries.

[Learn more](/product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core) in the documentation for
the `@cubejs-client/core` package.

## Example Usage

Here are the typical steps to query and visualize analytical data:

- **Import the `@cubejs-client/core` package.** This package provides all the
  necessary methods.
- **Create an instance of Cube JavaScript Client.** The client is initialized
  with Cube API URL. In development mode, the default URL is
  [http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1](http://localhost:4000/cubejs-api/v1).
  The client is also initialized with an [API token](/product/auth), but it
  takes effect only in [production](/product/deployment/production-checklist).
- **Query data from Cube Backend.** The client accepts a query, which is a plain
  JavaScript object. See
  [Query Format](/product/apis-integrations/rest-api/query-format) for details.
- **Transform data for visualization.** The result set has convenient methods,
  such as `series` and `chartPivot`, to prepare data for charting.
- **Visualize the data.** Use tools of your choice to draw charts and create
  visualizations.

See an example of using Cube with vanilla JavaScript and Chart.js library. Note
that you can always use a different charting library that suits your needs:

<iframe
  src="https://codesandbox.io/embed/131ymrj8vl?fontsize=14&hidenavigation=1&theme=dark"
  style={{
    width: "100%",
    height: 500,
    border: 0,
    borderRadius: 4,
    overflow: "hidden",
  }}
  sandbox="allow-modals allow-forms allow-popups allow-scripts allow-same-origin"
></iframe>

## Getting Started

You can install Cube JavaScript Client with npm or Yarn:

```bash
# npm
npm install --save @cubejs-client/core

# Yarn
yarn add @cubejs-client/core
```

Now you can build your application from scratch or connect to one of our
[supported data visualization tools](/product/configuration/visualization-tools).

## Data format

The [REST API][ref-rest-api] uses JSON to serialize and transfer result sets.
Numbers, e.g., values of numeric measures, are represented as strings.

By default, JavaScript SDK also returns numbers as strings because an automatic
conversion might lead to a precision loss. In JavaScript, only numbers between
[`Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`][link-max-safe-int] and `Number.MIN_SAFE_INTEGER`
can be safely parsed from strings. However, there's no guarantee that a measure
value or a column value from a supported [data source][ref-data-sources] would
not be outside of this range. 

If you'd like Cube to convert strings to numbers anyway, you can use the
[`castNumerics` option][ref-ref-loadmethodoptions] for that:

```javascript
import cube from '@cubejs-client/core'
 
const cubeApi = cube(CUBE_API_TOKEN, {
  apiUrl: CUBE_API_URL
})

const resultSet = await cubeApi.load(query, {
  castNumerics: true
})

console.log(resultSet.tablePivot())
```


[ref-compare-date-range]: /product/apis-integrations/queries#compare-date-range-query
[ref-rest-api]: /product/apis-integrations/rest-api
[link-max-safe-int]: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/Number/MAX_SAFE_INTEGER
[ref-data-sources]: /product/configuration/data-sources
[ref-ref-loadmethodoptions]: /product/apis-integrations/javascript-sdk/reference/cubejs-client-core#loadmethodoptions